The committee for the reburial of Liver-eating Johnston
Subtitle: memoirs of a dyslexic teacher
By: Tri Robinson
Publisher: [Tri Robinson]
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Place of pulication unknown]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 127
ISBN-13: 9781938848513
Subjects: Dead bodies (Law); Burial laws
Notes: In 1974, Tri Robinson and his 7th grade American Literature class went on an unthinkable quest to dig up and rebury a famous mountain man. That man was John Johnston - otherwise known by his legendary name as Liver-eating Johnston, and the inspiration for the Robert Redford movie, Jeremiah Johnson. This is the remarkable story of how, against all odds, 24 twelve-year-old kids succeeded in persuading the U.S. Congress to name their class as Johnston's official next of kin. With that designation they could move the body of a man who had been buried for 75 years in a gravesite near the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles, California. The journey would entail crossing five state lines to bring Johnston to a final resting spot in the Rocky Mountains - a place he once roamed and loved. The inspiring account reveals the obstacles the students endured along the way such as the legal battle between the states of Wyoming and Montana to obtain the rights to Johnston's remains. It also highlights some of the unlikely support provided from people like Robert Redford and Roy Neil (a news correspondent for NBC), who both became advocates to the students' cause.